Blog Category: Farmer Profiles

NFU Series #4: Farmers Can’t Do it Alone. What we need to fight the climate crisis.

Posted by National Farmers Union on February 24, 2021

This is the fourth and final post in a series of guest posts by the National Farmers Union. They are highlighting the work of young farmers and bringing climate change to the forefront in B.C. agriculture. In inspiring numbers, young farmers are taking to the land to act on climate – but we know that our individual zeal, commitment, and fighting spirit will not be enough to achieve the drastic reduction in on-farm emissions that we so desperately need. “I can make my own individual actions but what we really need is broader national and international policy, and a better … Continue reading NFU Series #4: Farmers Can’t Do it Alone. What we need to fight the climate crisis. →

NFU Series #3: From the Frontlines: Notes from young farmers in the face of the climate crisis

Posted by National Farmers Union on February 17, 2021

This is the third post in a series of guest posts by the National Farmers Union. They are highlighting the work of young farmers and bringing climate change to the forefront in B.C. agriculture. The climate crisis is the greatest threat facing agriculture today. As farmers, our livelihood is the land, and that puts us on the frontlines of the climate crisis. As young farmers in particular, we are grappling with the onset of the climate crisis as a warning sign of what will come to define our lives. “Dramatic weather changes – we’ve had two flood event years in … Continue reading NFU Series #3: From the Frontlines: Notes from young farmers in the face of the climate crisis →

NFU Series #2: To fight the climate crisis we need more young people on the land

Posted by National Farmers Union on February 12, 2021

This is the second post in a series of guest posts by the National Farmers Union. They are highlighting the work of young farmers and bringing climate change to the forefront in B.C. agriculture. While it is becoming increasingly precarious to pursue farming as a career, it is also becoming increasingly compelling to do so. For many young people, farming offers a unique and bold path forward in the face of the MANY converging and compounding crises that threaten our future. As we explored in “Why I Farm: Reflections on my absurd career choice,” there is a new wave of … Continue reading NFU Series #2: To fight the climate crisis we need more young people on the land →

NFU Series #1: Why I Farm: Reflections on my absurd career choice

Posted by Laura Fash on February 11, 2021

This is the first post in a series of guest posts from young farmers at the National Farmers Union. They are highlighting the work of young farmers and bringing climate change to the forefront in B.C. agriculture. I never thought I would be a farmer. A lifelong urbanite, my closest encounters with agriculture were my grandpa’s stories about growing up on a dairy farm and blasting by backroad acreage on my dad’s motorcycle. I had zero interest in rural life and couldn’t keep a cactus alive, let alone crops. Imagine my family’s surprise when my first year out of university … Continue reading NFU Series #1: Why I Farm: Reflections on my absurd career choice →

Hot Crops in a Cold Climate: Tomato Security in Northern BC

Posted by Jolene Swain on January 28, 2021

Hope Farm Organics grows vegetables near Willow River, BC, one hour outside of Prince George. The farm operates under a co-operative model, sharing resources, knowledge, skills and tools, to grow a diverse number of crops, foraged wild products and value-added products for the local markets. Tomato Production in Zone 3 Farming in the North is not for the faint at heart. Late frosts, early frosts, arctic fronts bringing in -30 °C hard freezes – how do they do it?! Many crops (think brassicas, root crops, potatoes, etc) readily adapt to the short, intense northern summer, where long summer days more … Continue reading Hot Crops in a Cold Climate: Tomato Security in Northern BC →

Protein for the People: Regenerative Poultry Project Grows Food Sovereignty

Posted by Jolene Swain on January 25, 2021

The Power of Feeding Ourselves Concerns over food security in the Gitxsan Nation started well before the pandemic. During the Festival of What Works (full video below), Shannon McPhail of the Skeena Watershed Conservation Coalition shared concerns she heard from the Gitwangak hereditary chiefs of dwindling salmon runs and declining moose populations: “We need another option, whether it’s to give these stocks a break, or whether it’s a dark future where we can’t rely on them anymore.” Finding an alternative protein source for the region took shape in the form of a regenerative poultry project, as a way to strengthen the … Continue reading Protein for the People: Regenerative Poultry Project Grows Food Sovereignty →

YA Apprenticeship 2021 – Wishart, SK – Peregrine Farm

Posted by Sara Yagelniski on January 09, 2021

Are you an aspiring farmer looking for a food growing experience with chickens, vegetables, and honey bees? Peregrine Farm in Saskatchewan is offering an apprenticeship just for you! (Jeff and his daughter, Ruby) ABOUT PEREGRINE FARM Peregrine Farm is located near Wishart, Saskatchewan within Treaty 4 Territory. Jeff Kinash and his family farm a quarter section, which is managed for biodiversity of life and ecosystems. They cultivate a small portion of the land for market gardening, and manage the rest (pasture, sloughs, bush) using cattle as a tool for fertility. The poultry is rotated to develop healthy, fertile pasture, and … Continue reading YA Apprenticeship 2021 – Wishart, SK – Peregrine Farm →

YA Apprenticeship 2021: Shell Lake, SK – Lazy Plum Farm

Posted by Sara Yagelniski on January 04, 2021

Are you an aspiring farmer looking for a homesteading experience with mixed livestock, vegetables, and an orchard in the Boreal Parkland region? Lazy Plum Farm in Saskatchewan is offering an apprenticeship just for you! ABOUT LAZY PLUM FARM Lazy Plum Farm is located near Shell Lake, Saskatchewan within Treaty 6 Territory. Dianne and Tyler purchased the farm in 2003. At the time it was an abandoned homestead, with nothing really except buildings that needed to be demolished. They transitioned from urban lives slowly, moving to live at the farm full-time in 2005. Their goal was to learn about sustainable living … Continue reading YA Apprenticeship 2021: Shell Lake, SK – Lazy Plum Farm →

YA Apprenticeship 2021 – Vanscoy, SK – Farm One Forty

Posted by Sara Yagelniski on January 04, 2021

Are you an aspiring farmer looking for a mixed farm with livestock diversity and veggies on the prairies to gain more skills, knowledge and experience? Farm One Forty in Saskatchewan is offering an apprenticeship just for you! ABOUT FARM ONE FORTY Farm One Forty is located near Vanscoy, Saskatchewan within Treaty 6 Territory. Arlie Laroche and her husband, Brett grew up on conventional farms, where they gained extensive knowledge about farming. As young adults they began learning about regenerative agriculture and permaculture and wanted to implement those aspects into their own farm. Their goal is health and diversity in soils, … Continue reading YA Apprenticeship 2021 – Vanscoy, SK – Farm One Forty →

B.C. Business Mentorship Network – Linden Lane Farms

Posted by Melanie Buffel on December 20, 2020

Young Agrarians is celebrating the sixth year of the Business Mentorship Network (BMN) program. The BMN offers business mentorships to a diverse array of new and young farmers across BC. Through one-on-one mentorship and peer networks, young farmers develop the skills necessary to operate ecologically sustainable and financially viable farm businesses. We love to profile our program participants and celebrate their efforts! My name is Matthew Carr from Linden Lane Farms and my Mentor was Seann Dory from Salt and Harrow Farm. What were your goals for this season and how did you work to achieve those? Investigate, develop and refine a plan to expand operation while increasing … Continue reading B.C. Business Mentorship Network – Linden Lane Farms →